Night vision scope for AR for about $1000
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wally
Member
What kind of "night vision"?
Thermal, nope.
Starlight (no IR illumination). Probably not.
If you are willing to use battery powered IR illumination, then I think the answer is yes, but I've no experience with how good they are.
Here is a good assortment in one place to get you started:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/ammo-shooting/night-vision?d=121&c=136
Thermal, nope.
Starlight (no IR illumination). Probably not.
If you are willing to use battery powered IR illumination, then I think the answer is yes, but I've no experience with how good they are.
Here is a good assortment in one place to get you started:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/ammo-shooting/night-vision?d=121&c=136
Acera
Member
You might look at these.
https://www.atncorp.com/smart-hd-weapon-sight
Saw a display yesterday at the local Ace hardware store, but don't know the level of night vision or much about them yet.
Well within you budget.
.
https://www.atncorp.com/smart-hd-weapon-sight
Saw a display yesterday at the local Ace hardware store, but don't know the level of night vision or much about them yet.
Well within you budget.
.
I'd been waiting a long time for technology to bring prices down - I recently bought an ATN X-Sight II HD 5-20x and so far have been impressed with it.
I got it mainly for play, but I could possibly get into a little night hunting with it.
A predator hunter (he wants to get into night hunting) and I hauled it around a few of the farms he haunts, and I let him play with it - he was impressed with the clarity at night (we both prefer the white / black over the green display) and the range of the optional ATN IR light I purchased.
The sight itself is pretty impressive (and can be found for under MSRP), but all the extras are nothing to sneeze at - video recording (64GB max MicroSD card), recoil activated recording, WiFi feed to your smart phone & tablet, etc.
I bought the ATN IR 850 PRO Infrared Illuminator, and was told I'd "need" the optional drop in pill (from the U.K.) - I ordered the drop in pill, but don't know when / if I'll get around to installing it after playing with the 850 PRO.
The 850 PRO also has a better aiming / adjustment system than anything I've seen from across the pond, which is where I ended up doing most of my research.
I got it mainly for play, but I could possibly get into a little night hunting with it.
A predator hunter (he wants to get into night hunting) and I hauled it around a few of the farms he haunts, and I let him play with it - he was impressed with the clarity at night (we both prefer the white / black over the green display) and the range of the optional ATN IR light I purchased.
The sight itself is pretty impressive (and can be found for under MSRP), but all the extras are nothing to sneeze at - video recording (64GB max MicroSD card), recoil activated recording, WiFi feed to your smart phone & tablet, etc.
I bought the ATN IR 850 PRO Infrared Illuminator, and was told I'd "need" the optional drop in pill (from the U.K.) - I ordered the drop in pill, but don't know when / if I'll get around to installing it after playing with the 850 PRO.
The 850 PRO also has a better aiming / adjustment system than anything I've seen from across the pond, which is where I ended up doing most of my research.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The Sightmark Photon XT is actually pretty good and usually gets good reviews. I have the 4.6x version.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
"Night vision" is generally regarded as all light intensification devices and sometimes includes (or given a subcategory) of digital night vision which sees into the darkness differently, but accomplishes the same goal. Thermal is not considered part of either.
Under $1000, you are limited to digital night vision, Gen I, and some Gen II optics. All will require an IR illuminator on all but the brightest of nights. Most IR illuminators that come stock on some NV gear are fairly poor and you would be best served to have an external IR illluminator for longer distances such as any of the T20 style IR illuminators that can be had for less than $40 or so such as the Evolva through Amazon.com (but there are numerous similar makes and I think the cheapest I have seen them is for about $20 for the same basic light).
Digital NV -
Sightmark Photon XT - reliable, no frills, long, mediocre image, good for coyotes out to 150 yards or so in an open field, hogs to 200+ yards with a good illuminator and conitions. Good dawn and dusk scope, but not a very good daylight scope, though it can be used in daylight.
ATN X-Sight HD - possibly the digital scope with the most promise from a company with abysmal customer service. This scope is apparently a good daylight scope with a pretty darned good night capability. The unit offers a lot of bells and whistles and if they are working correctly and you need them, that is great. If you buy one, make sure it works to your satisfaction before losing the receipt. Firmware updating may be necessary to make the unit you buy work correctly. The one really cool thing it does is record.
NV-
Armasight Vampire - have only chatted with users about these. Night capability only and is a traditional NV scope. Seems to work well for what you buy. Aluminum housing, solidly made.
Some folks will suggest you not "waste" your money on low end gear ("buy once cry once" logic). It is sort of like saying to not buy your first car until you can afford a Lexus. The low end gear has some reasonable functionality and is suitable for many applications. With a decent illuminator, it will allow you to hunt at distances typical of normal hunting (most folks hunt <100 yards most of the time). I know I killed a bunch of hogs with my first NV and Digital NV scopes. Not everyone has the need or the justification for high end scopes. I have a buddy who makes a lot more money than me, but only hunts about 4 times a year. He still hunts with a flashlight taped to the end of his rifle. It works well enough for him and his needs.
The major downside to the low end NV is the need for the illuminator which means you have to deal with reflectivity issues. In a cluttered environment, things up close get over illuminated and end up blinding you to the things behind them. Imagine, if you will, trying to see through a set of hedges at night with a bright flashlight. You see the front of the hedges, but not what is behind them. That is sort of like what can happen. In an open field, that issue issue there.
You can also have reflectivity issues when you fire your gun during a calm night. The particulates from the gun will hang in the air briefly and reflect back the illuminator's light. It can be like a magician's act. You shoot a hog and there is a bright flash of smoke and when the smoke clears, the hog is gone. It has either fallen over out of view (such as in high grass) or run, but either way, it seems to have disappeared.
The nice thing about digital scopes is that you don't have to worry about them getting ruined by bright light as you might with traditional NV scopes. Also, with digital NV, there are ways to record the images, which is pretty cool. For the Sightmark, you need an external recorder. For the ATN, it is onboard.
If you do decide to save up for a high end Gen III+ scope, do note that there will be times when you need to have an illuminator for it as well. The $3000-5000 you spend on a Gen III+ rifle scope can be spent on a thermal rifle scope that will likely do much better for you (at least if you are a hunter).
Here is a Photon XT example video. The shooter is using a T20 style illuminator (UNV20IR). The video does depict the reflectivity example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKPpDz4LRus
Here is a decent X-Sight HD example video. The shooter not apparently using a T20 illuminator which would have given you a full field of view. The video does demo the reflectivity issue noted above...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_FmxnjTwE
Under $1000, you are limited to digital night vision, Gen I, and some Gen II optics. All will require an IR illuminator on all but the brightest of nights. Most IR illuminators that come stock on some NV gear are fairly poor and you would be best served to have an external IR illluminator for longer distances such as any of the T20 style IR illuminators that can be had for less than $40 or so such as the Evolva through Amazon.com (but there are numerous similar makes and I think the cheapest I have seen them is for about $20 for the same basic light).
Digital NV -
Sightmark Photon XT - reliable, no frills, long, mediocre image, good for coyotes out to 150 yards or so in an open field, hogs to 200+ yards with a good illuminator and conitions. Good dawn and dusk scope, but not a very good daylight scope, though it can be used in daylight.
ATN X-Sight HD - possibly the digital scope with the most promise from a company with abysmal customer service. This scope is apparently a good daylight scope with a pretty darned good night capability. The unit offers a lot of bells and whistles and if they are working correctly and you need them, that is great. If you buy one, make sure it works to your satisfaction before losing the receipt. Firmware updating may be necessary to make the unit you buy work correctly. The one really cool thing it does is record.
NV-
Armasight Vampire - have only chatted with users about these. Night capability only and is a traditional NV scope. Seems to work well for what you buy. Aluminum housing, solidly made.
Some folks will suggest you not "waste" your money on low end gear ("buy once cry once" logic). It is sort of like saying to not buy your first car until you can afford a Lexus. The low end gear has some reasonable functionality and is suitable for many applications. With a decent illuminator, it will allow you to hunt at distances typical of normal hunting (most folks hunt <100 yards most of the time). I know I killed a bunch of hogs with my first NV and Digital NV scopes. Not everyone has the need or the justification for high end scopes. I have a buddy who makes a lot more money than me, but only hunts about 4 times a year. He still hunts with a flashlight taped to the end of his rifle. It works well enough for him and his needs.
The major downside to the low end NV is the need for the illuminator which means you have to deal with reflectivity issues. In a cluttered environment, things up close get over illuminated and end up blinding you to the things behind them. Imagine, if you will, trying to see through a set of hedges at night with a bright flashlight. You see the front of the hedges, but not what is behind them. That is sort of like what can happen. In an open field, that issue issue there.
You can also have reflectivity issues when you fire your gun during a calm night. The particulates from the gun will hang in the air briefly and reflect back the illuminator's light. It can be like a magician's act. You shoot a hog and there is a bright flash of smoke and when the smoke clears, the hog is gone. It has either fallen over out of view (such as in high grass) or run, but either way, it seems to have disappeared.
The nice thing about digital scopes is that you don't have to worry about them getting ruined by bright light as you might with traditional NV scopes. Also, with digital NV, there are ways to record the images, which is pretty cool. For the Sightmark, you need an external recorder. For the ATN, it is onboard.
If you do decide to save up for a high end Gen III+ scope, do note that there will be times when you need to have an illuminator for it as well. The $3000-5000 you spend on a Gen III+ rifle scope can be spent on a thermal rifle scope that will likely do much better for you (at least if you are a hunter).
Here is a Photon XT example video. The shooter is using a T20 style illuminator (UNV20IR). The video does depict the reflectivity example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKPpDz4LRus
Here is a decent X-Sight HD example video. The shooter not apparently using a T20 illuminator which would have given you a full field of view. The video does demo the reflectivity issue noted above...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_FmxnjTwE
You should learn reading comprehension. OP asked about NV...no mention of thermal, so not sure why you added that useless comment.
OP, I personally would say avoid ATN NV...they make some outrageous claims and their products aren't very good.
If you are looking for a dedicated NV scope...take a look at NAIT's M845. Get on NAIT's FB as they offer deals. The Gen 2 units are very nice.
I can tell you that if you can only buy one NV item, you should get a monocular first. Having a dedicated NV scope is not very useful as you will need to raise your firearm up to view. That is not only dangerous, but it gets heavy very quickly.
I would only recommend a dedicated NV scope once you already have a monocular set up. I know that NAIT had some for sale, but a little over your $1k budget.
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